A happy rainy day in Milan

Half Italian, half European, Milan has new surprises every time I visit. This October marked eight years since I left my student life in Milan, and since then its magnetic force has kept pulling me back. I have missed the Navigli canals, where I would spend evenings with a glass of Aperol Spritz together with the melody of the local language, and the delicious smell of baked croissants that hits you just as you step of the plane. I miss being able to talk about food in great detail and the evening lights that illuminate the Duomo Cathedral and the fountain in Piazza San Babila.

I had a feeling that I knew the city so well. But, thanks to my local guide Pamela, I have rediscovered the familiar places and found new attractions. I learned that the construction of the Duomo lasted nearly six hundred years, and the marble was specially transported from the Candoglia quarry. The local population helped in the construction as best they could. The rich contributed money, while the poor brought rice and wine. Legend says that one of the artists working on the cathedral's stained glass windows added saffron – the spice typically used for its pleasing yellow color, in his rice. This is how the traditional Milanese risotto was born.

From the cathedral, we head to the gallery of Victor Emmanuel II, named after the first king of Italy. This place, symbolizing luxury and well-being, became one of the first shopping arcades in the world. Visitors in elegant suits came here to drink tea, to do business and to enjoy themselves. One day, a bar owner started offering guests an unusual bitter drink, serving it with salty snacks. The owner's name was Gaspare Campari, and the drink’s name as you can guess became internationally known.